Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 April 18, 2010
Game 1 - Box Score | Game 2 - Box Score
PHILADELPHIA - The Fordham softball team swept its second Atlantic 10 team of the weekend after 16 innings of play against La Salle in a doubleheader at West Campus Field on Sunday. The Rams outlasted the Explorers in the first game, winning 5-3 in nine innings. In the second game of the twin bill, Fordham scored six runs in the seventh en route to a 10-2 victory.
With the wins, Fordham extends its win streak to 10 games, its longest win streak of the season. The Rams are 36-8 overall and 10-2 in league games. La Salle falls to 10-20 overall and 2-10 in the conference.
In game one, sophomore Jen Mineau (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Hoosic Valley Central) recorded 22 strikeouts in nine innings, striking out the side in the second, third and fourth. She allowed just four hits and three runs to score. Mineau is 23-5 overall in the circle. Her 22 strikeouts set the record for strikeouts in a game, previously set by Mineau at 19, at Dayton on March 28. Mineau has broken the record four times this year, with 18 in the season-opener against Morehead State, 18 again against Winthrop (March 20) then the 19 at Dayton.
Fordham was ahead 3-1 through six innings before the Explorers scored two in the seventh to tie the game. Mineau struck out the last two batters to end the inning and send it to extras. The Rams' defense shut down the La Salle batters, one-two-three in the eighth and ninth; and with a hit by junior Beckah Wiggins (Conklin, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) in the ninth, dropped by the La Salle second baseman, junior Jocelyn Dearborn (New Milford, Pa./Blue Ridge) and sophomore Nicole Callahan (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township) were able to score for the 5-3 win.
In game two, junior transfer Chelsea Plimpton (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville South (St. John's)) earned her second win in two days striking out six batters and allowing just two runs off four hits. Plimpton advances to 9-2 on the season.
As a team, Fordham had four home runs for nine-RBI en route to 10 runs scored. Junior Samantha Pellechio (Lebanon, N.J./North Hunterdon) hit two of the four home runs, for four RBI, a season high for the shortstop. The homers were the first for Pellechio this season and the first time the junior had two home runs in a game in her career.
Dearborn and Wiggins also had home runs.
Fordham 5, La Salle 3 (9)
The Rams scored early, plating three runs in their first at bat. Dearborn led off the day for the Rams with a home run to right field. Rookie Jamie LaBovick (Peoria, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) had a hit on two outs down the right side of the diamond and scored on Pellechio's hit that was dropped in left field. Junior Meghan Shager (Conklin, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) finished off scoring for the Rams with an RBI single to center field to score Pellechio.
La Salle answered right back as lead off batter Gina Massaro, the Explorers' pitcher, homered down the left field line on an 0-2 count. Dearborn grabbed a fouled fly ball and Mineau struck out the next two batters to end the inning. After one inning of play, Fordham led La Salle, 3-1.
Both teams remained scoreless throughout the five and a half innings as Mineau struck out the side three straight innings and struck out four of the six batters in the fifth and the six innings. The Rams didn't allow one base runner for the Explorers, as they shut down 15-consecutive Explorers. Fordham was able to get on base five times in the next six innings, but could not score.
In the bottom of the seventh, a double from La Salle's Erica Vile sent in two runs to tie the game at three. Mineau got out of the inning with two called strikeouts.
Callahan led off the ninth inning for the Rams with a double to left field. After Massaro struck out the next Fordham batter, Callahan advanced to third on a single from Dearborn and the Rams were able to get runners at the corners. Another strikeout for Massaro, and Fordham found themselves with two outs and two runners in scoring position after Dearborn stole second. Wiggins, batting in the No. 3 spot, hit a ball to the second baseman which was dropped, and two runs scored for Fordham for the Rams to take a 5-3 lead.
The Rams protected their lead in the ninth as Mineau fielded a grounder to the circle and struck out the final two batters.
Fordham 10, La Salle 2 In the second game, Fordham once again got on the board in the first inning as Wiggins hit her 10th home run of the season, scoring senior
Erin Fisher (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville) who had singled to the left side in the at bat before. Fordham finished the first inning up 2-0.
This time, the Explorers didn't answer back with a homer of their own, but instead remained scoreless through five innings.
On the other hand, Fordham scored two more runs in the third inning, once again with a two-run homer, this time the first by Pellechio this season. LaBovick scored on Pellechio's two-out rip.
The Rams kept a 4-0 lead until the sixth inning, when La Salle's first baseman, Angelina Bisbiglia hit a two-run homer of her own to centerfield to score Massaro who got on first base with a walk.
Fordham answered once again in the seventh inning, scoring six runs off two more homers and a single from sophomore
Lindsey Kay Bright (Federal Way, Wash./Decatur). The Rams batted around the order in the seventh, starting with Wiggins and ending with Fisher. Pellechio tallied her second homer of the game, once again scoring LaBovick, who had reached on a fielder's choice. Dearborn closed out the game, clearing the bases for a three-run homer.
The Rams kept the lead by putting away the Explorers' six through nine batters for the 10-2 victory.
In the doubleheader, Shager hit 4-for-8 with an RBI. Dearborn hit 4-for-9 with three runs and four RBI. Wiggins and Pellechio also each had four RBI.
Up next for the streaking Rams is a little break from conference play with a mid-week game at Hofstra. Fordham will travel to Hempstead, N.Y., to play the Pride in a single game on Tuesday, April 20 at 4 p.m.
